Kissing Practice
by Rory Maria
Summary: Best friends Natsu and Lucy share a "practice" first kiss.
1. Chapter 1

"Luce, I really need your help," Natsu whined, throwing himself onto Lucy's bed. Both teenagers were still clad in their school uniform, having walked straight to Lucy's home after the final bell. Throwing her friend a glare for rumpling up the sheets on her perfectly made bed, Lucy sat down beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, more curious than worried. Natsu never worried about anything, and when he did, it was usually about stupid things. Like the time he got all worked up about Happy going missing when in reality he'd just forgotten that he'd let his younger cousin, Wendy, cat sit for the night. Natsu was nothing if not an idiot, at least in Lucy's book.

The pinkette had started to run a hand through his hair nervously, refusing to meet Lucy's gaze. _That's different,_ she thought as she waited for him to speak. "Well, the winter ball is coming up, and everyone's expecting me to ask Lisanna to be my date. So now I _have_ to ask her and -"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Lucy reminded her friend. It seemed that she often had to do this with Natsu, since he was always pushing himself to make everyone happy. It was something that came naturally to him, but took a lot out of him at the same time. Lucy was usually his safe haven, the one he would come back to when he needed to relax and recharge. To Natsu, being with Lucy was easy; it seemed like just his presence made her happy, and something about that fact calmed him in a way nothing else could.

"I know," Natsu paused to sigh deeply, "But if I don't ask her to be my date, she won't have anyone else to go with."

 _Neither will I,_ Lucy thought, a tiny bit of bitterness making its way through her. Natsu and Lucy were best friends, and have been for almost two years now. They did everything together, so when things like school dances came up, everyone just assumed Natsu and Lucy would go together. That stopped other guys from asking her, which usually wasn't a problem, since Lucy and Natsu _would_ end up just going to school events together. As best friend, of course.

But ever since Lisanna moved back to Mongolia a few months ago, Lucy and Natsu had been thrown off a little. Lucy respected the fact that Lisanna was Natsu's childhood best friend, and happily gave them as much time and space as they wanted. She didn't mind it at all. And normally, Lucy wouldn't mind going to a dance by herself either, but the winter ball required that everyone attending have a date. If Natsu went with Lisanna, Lucy would have to miss it.

"It's not like I care that she'll be my date," Natsu continued on, not noticing the face Lucy was making. "It's just that everyone knows that during the last song of the dance, you're supposed to kiss your date. And knowing Lisanna, she'll be expecting a real one, not just a kiss on the cheek. So I'll have to kiss her and I have no idea how to kiss someone."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Lucy repeated, casually slipping off her uniform cardigan and standing. She walked over to her closet to hang the sweater, causing Natsu to groan.

"I _know_ that, okay?! But would ya just help me out, please? I don't have anyone else to turn to."

Lucy looked back to the sincere face that Natsu was giving her now. His cheeks were slightly pink with embarrassment, and his eyes were wider than usual, their normal alertness gone, replaced by...pleading. Sighing, Lucy's shoulders slumped slightly. She stood by her closet still, all of her weight on one leg, her other bent at the knee in a casual position.

"Fine. What is it?"

At her question, Natsu began to squirm, and immediately broke eye contact. _That's weird,_ Lucy thought, narrowing her eyes. "Well...like I said, I've never kissed anybody...and I was wonderin'...if I could practice on you?" Natsu's entire face was red when he finished speaking and Lucy could only imagine that hers was too.

"What?!" she almost shouted back in response. Practice kissing, on her?! This was not how she pictured her first kiss, or how she wanted it to play out at all. Lucy wanted her first kiss to be romantic, and intimate, and most importantly with someone she was in love with...or at least dating! Composing herself, she tried to reason with Natsu. "But I've never kissed anyone either. I don't know how much help I could really be."

"But that's just it. I figured since neither of us know what we're doing, it would help us both out. And you're the only one I can trust with this, Lucy, please? I'll do anything you want, for a week - no, a whole month!"

Slowly, Lucy walked back over to her bed and sat back down next to Natsu. He never took his eyes off of her, still silently begging her. Was he this desperate to give Lisanna a good kiss? Lucy straightened her shoulders and faced her best friend. "Alright, but I'm only doing this because you're my absolute best friend, and you'd do the same for me. Also," Lucy cut in before Natsu could do his usual happy dance, " _No one_ can find out about this."

"You got it," Natsu nodded, and then paused. The two shared an awkward moment of silence, neither knowing what to do. Lucy expected Natsu to make the first move, since it was his idea, but the boy just stared back at her blankly.

Finally, with a roll of her eyes, Lucy began to lean in. That seemed to wake Natsu up, because he followed her lead, leaning closer to her as well. They both paused once their noses brushed, both too nervous to make their lips meet. Lucy looked into Natsu's eyes; _you're turn,_ she thought at him, and he seemed to get the message. Licking his lips quickly, Natsu tilted his head, and leaned in the rest of the way.

When their lips met, there weren't fireworks, or electric sparks, like Lucy read about in the books she read. Instead there was an awkward pause in which neither of them moved; they were just pressing their lips to each others.

Lucy felt… uncomfortable. She wanted to lean away so badly, but she knew that would be selfish of her. Natsu had swallowed his pride to ask her this favor, and she wouldn't let him have this awkward moment at the ball with Lisanna. Sharing a kiss with the youngest Strauss sibling was obviously something Natsu was taking very seriously, and Lucy would be a shitty best friend if she didn't do all she could to help him out.

Instead of leaning away, Lucy leaned forward, bringing her hand up to cup the back of Natsu's neck, holding him to her. She tilted her head in the opposite direction of his, and started to move her lips slowly against his. Admittedly, she didn't know what she was doing, but she'd read enough romance books to at least know how to fake a little bit.

Natsu wasn't someone who allowed another to outdo him, though. Quickly, he followed Lucy's lead, leaning into her even more. Their lips were moving in an awkward way now, but Lucy cupped his face with both of her hand, sort of cradling his jaw, forcing his mouth to follow the rhythm she'd established. That wasn't enough for Natsu; he wasn't going to let her win.

Without thinking at all, Natsu let pure instinct guide his actions now. His mouth opened without his permission, but he became satisfied by the action when he heard Lucy's surprised squeak. He snaked his tongue out and quickly Lucy opened her mouth, allowing her tongue to slide against his. Their movements were still clumsy, but they hardly noticed, too distracted by the feeling of their tongues colliding.

Lucy's back was starting to cramp from her awkward position on the bed. She was sitting facing forward, with her torso twisted to the side towards Natsu. Knowing that she couldn't stand sitting like this much longer, but also not wanting to break the kiss, Lucy simply turned her waist to the side as well. She was fully facing Natsu now, with one leg up, half kneeling on the bed. Suddenly, Natsu's hands were gripping her waist, and Lucy gasped as he pulled her onto his lap. Both of her knees were on the bed now, pinned on either side of Natsu's hips as she straddled him.

The pinkette was thankful for their new position; his back had started to hurt as well - not that he would admit that, though. He made a soft noise when his breath caught in his throat, the feeling of Lucy's nails scraping over his scalp while her fingers tugged at his hair was driving him crazy. The sound seemed to boost Lucy's confidence since she immediately pushed herself closer to him, her breasts firmly pressed against his muscular chest. Now if _that_ didn't cause a whole flood of new feelings to overwhelm Natsu…

Lucy wasn't the only one feeling confident now, though. As thoughts and images filled Natsu's mind - all of them foreign and centered around Lucy - his hands moved down from her hips to her thighs, and slowly back up, just barely going under her skirt. He'd seen the contents of her underwear drawer before when Happy had decided to make a temporary home inside it the one time Lucy accidentally left it open. None of the items left much to the imagination, and at the time, Natsu couldn't fathom how they were even supposed to be worn - or how they even classified at articles of clothing, really. But now his hands began to shake slightly as they traveled upward, farther up her skirt. He wondered which one he would find on her, and the thought excited him in a way it shouldn't have, seeing as Lucy was his best friend.

This was starting to become too much for Lucy. She was well aware that Natsu's hands were slowly sliding under her school uniform skirt, and she was letting him do it, too. When she started to wonder if he would find her purple, lace tanga cute, Lucy knew they'd crossed a line she never thought they would. And she needed to stop it.

Before Natsu's hands made contact with the lacey material, Lucy leaned away quickly, pushing Natsu back a little as well. They looked at each other through wide eyes, as if some spell over them had broken. Natsu's hands were still on Lucy's upper thighs, but after a few moments he slowly removed them and placed them on the bed by his sides.

"So, was that enough practice?" Lucy asked, finally breaking the silence. She took in Natsu and all of his raw glory - dark pink, kiss swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and disheveled hair. He looked good that way, Lucy decided. She wondered if this was how he would looked after kissing Lisanna, and found herself pondering if he would kiss Lisanna this way, too.

"Uh-um...y-yeah, I guess so," Natsu agreed reluctantly. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of being detached from Lucy made him a little disappointed. As the blonde climbed off his lap, he look at the blush coloring her cheeks, and wondered if kissing Lisanna would feel anything like this.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Lucy!" Lisanna smiled as the blonde took a seat next to her at the counter. Lucy had decided to hang out at the local coffee shop, Fairy Tail, to get away from her dad. They'd just had another fight and she wasn't in the mood to stick around for the silent treatment that was coming her way. She was feeling pretty down, but Lisanna's wide grin was contagious, and Lucy found herself smiling as well.

"What's got you all happy?" Lucy replied in place of a greeting. If it were possible, Lisanna's smile grew and a blush colored her cheeks.

"Natsu asked me to the winter ball!" the youngest Strauss sibling gushed, and for a moment Lucy paused.

It had been two weeks since the heated kiss she'd shared with her best friend. The two hadn't talked about it at all, but thankfully their friendship continued on without a hiccup. Lucy had worried that the kiss would make things awkward, but it hadn't. It seemed like nothing changed between them. Still…

Even if nothing changed between them, something had changed within Lucy. She noticed that since the kiss she'd started thinking about Natsu differently. They were only fleeting thoughts, but every once in a while Lucy would see things about him that she didn't before. Like the way you could see the outline of his abs when he wore cotton tshirts, or the way his jaw clenched when he was fully focused on something.

Still, Lucy was Natsu's best friend, and she wouldn't let these thoughts poison the friendship they'd spent years building. She smiled back at Lisanna just as Cana joined them at the counter.

"But are you really surprised that he asked you, Lisanna? Like none of us saw that one coming, right?" the brunette asked sarcastically, nudging Lucy's arm. They both laughed when Lisanna covered her face with her hands shyly.

"He was telling me about how he wanted to ask you like two weeks ago! It took him long enough," Lucy teased, watching Lisanna's smile shine. She'd purposely left out the part about how Natsu felt forced to ask her; Lisanna didn't need to know all the details.

"How did he even ask you? I can't imagine Natsu being romantic at all," Cana commented, pulling a bottle of dark liquid out of her bag. Lucy rolled her eyes at the smell of alcohol that filled the air once Cana opened the bottle and started drinking.

"Well, he didn't really ask me straight out," Lisanna started, squirming a little in her seat. Lucy could only wonder how Natsu had asked; he probably threatened to set her on fire if she didn't say yes or something. "He actually just asked me what color I was thinking of wearing to the ball, and when I asked him why he told me he wanted to make sure he had a tie to match."

While Lucy fell into laughter Cana only stared at Lisanna with an incredulous smile. "So he just assumed you'd go with him? Well, I guess that's Natsu for ya. So, who's the lucky fella taking you to the dance, Luce? I'm totally jealous of whoever he is; he gets to be all up close and personal with these babies."

Lucy swatted Cana's hand away before it could come in contact with her breast. "Actually, I'm not going to the dance," Lucy informed the two, earning sounds of shock and disappointment.

"Why not?" Cana asked, and Lucy was met with two expectant faces that she was not prepared for. Thinking on the spot, Lucy uttered the first excuse that came to mind.

"Er, my dad has a business banquet in Crocus that weekend and he wants me to go with him. You know how he is, always trying to marry me off to aid his bank account," Lucy said, laughing a little. It was only half a lie; plus, she'd just gotten in a fight with her father, so she didn't feel all that bad about using him as a scapegoat.

"Oh no, that's too bad," Lisanna frowned, and Canna nodded, taking another swing from whatever was in her bottle.

"Yeah, it won't be as fun without you," the brunette agreed. Lucy smiled but shook her head.

"No way! I'm sure you guys will have plenty of fun on your own."

* * *

The next eight weeks were full of stress over tests, projects, and most importantly, the winter ball. Lucy was almost happy that she wasn't going, seeing as her friends were all losing their minds over making sure their dresses were perfect and their hair and makeup appointments were at the right times.

Luckily, all of that stress was over now. Lucy watched as her friends gathered in front of Fairy Tail to take pictures; their faces were full of smiles and joy, and they laughed together as they posed for a flood of cameras.

"Yo, Lucy!" a familiar voice called, gaining Lucy's immediate attention. Natsu smiled while he walked closer to her, not noticing that his best friend was frozen in her tracks.

Natsu looked...in a word, amazing. Lucy had seen him dressed up before, but the suit he had on right now looked like it was handcrafted by the gods just for him. It was fitted snugly in all the right places, and the expensive material made him look like a model. Lucy pushed her thoughts into a safe corner in her mind. He was here with Lisanna after all; that should be enough of a reminder to keep her feelings at bay.

"What the hell are you wearing? Where's your dress?" Natsu asked. Their school had a strict policy that everyone had to be dressed in formal attire. There was no way they'd let Lucy in when she was dressed in faded skinny jeans and one of his old sweaters that he'd let her borrow. Plus, it wasn't like Lucy to pass up an opportunity to get dressed up.

"I'm not going to the ball," Lucy said in a tone that implied the "duh" without her having to say it. That was news to Natsu, and he showed his shock plainly on his face.

He'd spent weeks complaining to her about it, even asking her for help with picking out flowers for Lisanna. Why had she never once mentioned that she wasn't going? Unless she had been planning on it, and suddenly couldn't go… "Did your date stand you up?! Who is he?! I'll beat the ever living crap outta him! No one stands Lucy up and gets away with it -!"

"Shut up, stupid!" Lucy hissed, slapping Natsu's arm. She looked around, a blush coloring her cheeks when she saw a bunch of their friends staring at them. Looking back towards Natsu, Lucy frowned. "I didn't get stood up, jeez, stop embarrassing me! I never planned on going. My father wanted me to go with him to some stupid business banquet this weekend in Crocus." There goes that lie again.

"Yeah, didn't she tell you that?" Levy asked, walking up to them. She gave Lucy an excited hug before stepping away with a confused expression. "I'm so glad you're here for pictures! But I thought you'd be on your way to Crocus by now?"

Lucy faked a sad sigh, and when Natsu's face softened, she knew she'd executed it perfectly. "My dad told me last minute that we're not going. Turns out the guy he wanted to do business with isn't going to the banquet, so he doesn't want to waste his time going."

"Oh no! That stinks. If he'd told you sooner you could have gone to the ball," Levy pouted. Lucy responded with a wide smile.

"No worries Lev! I'll go next year. Oh, look! They're taking group pictures now, you guys better get going." The blonde pushed her two friends away from her, and pulled out her phone to snap a few pictures of the group. She almost dropped her phone when someone shouted, "Look! Gray actually has clothes on!" and something else responded, "Thank god we're getting photo evidence of this!"

"Hey, do you think I could get a quick picture of you guys?" Lucy asked, quickly approaching Lisanna and Natsu just as the couples started to make their way towards the limo. The two happily complied, posing next to each other and smiling at Lucy's upheld phone. She felt so bitter sweet, but knew that as Natsu's best friend she was there to support him and make him happy. What kind of best friend would she be if she didn't get at least one picture of him?

Plus, Lucy had to admit that Lisanna looked absolutely stunning in her silver, floor length gown. The slit up the side was seriously sexy, and showed off one of her long legs perfectly. The top was low cut, calling attention to her amazing cleavage, and the off the shoulders straps just added to the effect. In her hair was a white rose that matched the bouquet of white roses in her hands. Lucy had done a good job of advising Natsu to get them, they matched the beading in Lisanna's dress perfectly.

"You're turn!" Lisanna giggled, pulling Lucy out of her daydream like state. The blue eyed girl was at her side, taking her phone from her hands and pushing her towards Natsu. "Hurry! One of you and Natsu!"

"Oh. Okay," Lucy smiled, standing by Natsu's side. Without a second thought, the pinkette rested his right arm on Lucy's shoulder, bringing his other hand up into a peace sign. Lucy followed his lead, placing her left hand on her hip, her right hand making a peace sign near her face. She smiled widely, and when the flash went off, she winked at the camera.

"Aw, you guys look so cute! Oh - here Lucy!" Lisanna quickly gave the phone back to it's owner as Erza called for everyone to get into the limo.

"See ya, Luce! I wish you were coming," Natsu called, letting Lisanna drag him to the vehicle. "It's always more fun with you!" were his final words before the door shut behind him and all of her friends drove off towards an inevitably fun night.

Lucy was definitely bummed. She looked down at her phone and decided to see what her picture with Natsu looked like. Instantly, she felt herself perk up. The picture was perfect! Natsu was giving his signature grin, not the posed smile he had plastered on his face in his picture with Lisanna. And Lucy thought she looked pretty cute, herself. She quickly made that picture her background, and posted the picture of Lisanna and Natsu on her instagram with the caption "#WinterBallGoals". After that, she walked back home a little happier.

* * *

Lucy huffed out a sigh into the air of her dark bedroom. She looked at the digital clock next to her bed and read that the time was now eight o'clock. That meant the dance had already been going on for an hour. Lucy wondered how much fun her friends were having right now. Were they all dancing? Was there food there? Was Erza stealing everyone's cake? Was Natsu ready to kiss Lisanna tonight?

Another sigh escaped Lucy at the thought. _Don't think about it, remember?_ she thought to herself. She continued to stare blankly at her ceiling until something made her jump. Her window was opening from the outside, and a dark figure was starting to crawl in.

 _Oh my gosh! What do I do?!_ Lucy began to panic. She picked up the nearest thing she could - which happened to be her stuffed animal, Plue - and approached the figure. Several things happened all at once. First, Lucy raised her plushie in the air and threw it down at the intruder with all her might. At the same time, said intruder slipped, and fell flat on his face on the floor of Lucy's bedroom.

"Ah, shit! Damn dress shoes, making me fall!" a familiar voice grumbled, and Lucy's body finally relaxed.

"Natsu!?" she questioned just as he yelled, "What the - Plue?! Lucy, what are you doing?!"

"What am _I_ doing?!" Lucy all but yelled at the pinkette. She gave him a look as if to say "Are you serious?" and continued on with, "What are you even going here? The dance doesn't end for another three hours."

"Yeah, I know," Natsu was standing up now, and Lucy could see in the moonlight shining through her window that he was smiling. "But how could I enjoy a school dance knowing my best friend was stuck in her room all alone?"

Lucy blushed at that, and was thankful that she wasn't in the light. Natsu had left the winter ball just to come hang out with her? But that would mean… "Wait, what about Lisanna? Did you just leave her? And you're not allowed to leave dances early, how did you…?"

"Jeez, calm down Lucy!" Natsu rolled his eyes, crossing his arms casually. Everything he did now seemed so attractive to her, but Lucy blamed it on the fact that he was wearing a suit. Men always looked better in a suit. "I'm not a jerk, I didn't just leave her. She said it was okay, in fact, she was the one who suggested it."

"Huh?" Lucy asked, complete shock taking over her. Lisanna, the girl who had blushed when telling her that Natsu had asked her to be his date, and looked so excited just hours ago, told him to leave?

Natsu nodded in response, taking a seat on Lucy's bed. "I guess she could tell what a shit time I was having. She told me to go and see you. I didn't at first because I felt bad, but she kept insisting. So I snuck out. It's really not that hard to get past the security guards."

Except, Lucy knew just how hard it was to get past the guards. She didn't want to know what Natsu really did to get past them, and he was thankful she didn't ask. Smiling, Lucy made a mental note to apologize to Lisanna, but also to thank her. She really had been feeling crappy until Natsu showed up.

The two friends sat next to each other on Lucy's bed in the dark, just talking. This was normal for them. Natsu lived extremely far from their school, and didn't have a means of transportation other than his own two feet. When he realized how close Lucy lived to their high school, he without asking just started to crash with her most nights. At first Lucy despised him for it, since they really hadn't been that close when he started doing it. But soon enough she began to enjoy his company.

"Hey, it's almost eleven. They're probably having their last dance right now," Natsu said, completely changing the topic of their conversation. Lucy glanced at her clock and saw that he was right. Natsu should have been getting ready to kiss Lisanna right about now, but instead he was by Lucy's side. She didn't want to think about why that made her so happy.

Cocking her head to the side, Lucy gave Natsu a confused look when one of her favorite slow songs started playing through his phone speakers. He stood, and reached a hand out to Lucy. "Dance with me?" he asked, and although Lucy could hear the smirk in his voice, his hand was shaking slightly when she grabbed it.

"Okay," Lucy whispered, swallowing hard. What was he doing? This wasn't usually like him, but then again, he did normally go above and beyond to make Lucy happy. Not that he really had to, just being with him made Lucy happy.

That thought struck her as odd. She'd never really thought about it, but being by Natsu's side was what made her the most happy. Even just seeing his picture earlier had helped to dissipate her mood drop. Was it possible that she had deeper feelings for the boy she called her best friend? She'd never thought about it, but judging by the way her heart sped up when Natsu pulled her closer against him, she figured she did.

At first the two were simply swaying side by side to the beat of the song, but Natsu was a child at heart, and soon he started to spin Lucy and do ridiculous lifts with her that made the girl both laugh and fear for her safety. Before she would have liked, the song was coming to an end, and Lucy was happy to see that Natsu was just as out of breath at she was. They both laughed, locking eyes in the moonlight.

Natsu reached around Lucy and wrapped his arms around her waist, his smile slowly fading as he looked into her eyes. With her body pressed against his once again, Lucy tilted her head up, meeting his intense gaze with confidence. Just as the last notes of the song filled the room, Natsu leaned down, swiftly pressing his lips to Lucy's before the latter had time to react.

This kiss was completely different from their first. Neither of them were shy now, and they didn't waste any time with uncertainty or clumsiness. Their lips and tongues moved together as if they had been doing this for life times - and maybe they had. Lucy liked to think that maybe in a past life she and Natsu had been together. And that maybe they would be together again in this one, too.

Unlike their prior experience, this kiss was short lived. When Natsu pulled away to lean his forehead on Lucy's, he gave her a half smile, which made her heart pound even harder. Though this kiss wasn't as intense as their first one, it still made Lucy breathless and lightheaded all the same.

"Need some more practice, huh?" she teased, suddenly feeling vulnerable in the silence. Natsu's smile grew, and Lucy knew he was seeing right through her.

"Yeah, lots more."


	3. Chapter 3

Natsu was tangled in the sheets of Lucy's queen sized bed. The blonde herself was comfortably lying on top of him, in a rather compromising position. Currently, Lucy's collarbone was the main focus of Natsu's attention; his lips were attached to her skin there, sucking and nibbling roughly, earning a long string of sounds from Lucy.

A few weeks had passed since Natsu ditched Lisanna at the dance. Even though it was her idea for him to leave, he'd still felt really bad about it. Thankfully, Lisanna hadn't been mad at him at all. She told him she had a feeling something like that would end up happening, and even confessed that she was surprised that he'd asked her to the ball at all. She said she was sure he would ask Lucy. Thinking back, he wished he had.

Lying in Lucy's bed now with the girl firmly pressed against him, Natsu smirked against her skin, remembering the day they first met. More than half of their freshman year had been over when Lucy transferred to his high school. Everyone was talking about the new girl, since the small school hardly got any new students. Natsu remembered the dreaded feeling of being late for class and running down the hallway. He also remembered the dreaded feeling of clashing into another person.

As he apologized and gathered his books, Natsu had hear Lucy sniffling. When he caught sight of her sad face, a feeling came over him that he'd never felt before. Still to this day, he didn't really know quite what is was. All he knew in that moment, crouched on the floor of his high school hall way two years ago, was that he would do anything to make Lucy happy again.

At first, Lucy had acted annoyed with Natsu's persistent efforts to become close with her. She would blush and ignore him when he would obnoxiously call out her name in the hallways, and would groan and tell him to leave her alone when he'd offer to walk her home. Still, Natsu didn't give up, and soon enough, Lucy warmed up to him.

They really got close once he started crashing at her place, though. He'd made up some excuse about how he lived far from school and hated the commute, but the truth was, Natsu absolutely loved walking from his small home out by the woods into the city. It gave him a lot of time to think and enjoy the beauty around him. But when Lucy confided in him about how her dad treated her, basically pretending she didn't exist and making her feel worthless, Natsu couldn't stand the thought of her being alone in her huge house. So he spent all day with her in school, and walked her home to spend the rest of the day with her as well.

Thinking about it all now, Natsu was surprised he hadn't realized he was in love with his best friend sooner. Lucy had always been his safe haven, his happy place, the only person he never had to try for. Pulling away, Natsu smiled up at the flushed, out of breath girl above him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lucy asked, smiling shyly. She was well aware that she hadn't been exactly quiet while the boy worked at her skin, but she couldn't help it. Now that the overwhelming feeling of pleasure was gone, Lucy suddenly felt embarrassed about it all.

"I can't smile at you?" Natsu asked, his smile growing with his words. Lucy looked so cute like this. The girl was always attractive to him, but his absolute favorite look on her was the one she was wearing right now; messy hair, flushed cheeks, clothes as disheveled as her breathing. Damn, she looked good.

Squirming, Lucy removed herself from Natsu and readjusted her off the shoulder crop top. She tried to cover the mark on her collarbone the best she could, which caused Natsu to smirk. Standing up, Lucy walked over to where she'd discarded her sandals and slipped them on. "Come on, we'd better get to Fairy Tail before everyone starts to notice we're not there."

Natsu lazily made his way over to Lucy, biting back a chuckle when her eyes widened at his closeness. He tugged at the soft material of her cropped tshirt, pulling the hem as far down as it would go, which was barely halfway down her torso. "Do you own any shirts that go farther than your belly button?" Natsu teased, causing Lucy to frown and slap his hands away.

"Yes, I do actually. You've seen me in them, stupid. Some of them are ones I stole from you," Lucy explained, annoyance clear in her voice. Natsu tried not to laugh. Lucy's sass could be so adorable sometimes.

"You should wear them more often," the pinkette suggested, moving away from Lucy to put his sandals on as well. He never really cared what Lucy wore; he had a kind of "your body your choice" kinda attitude towards the whole thing. Plus, who didn't like to see Lucy in painfully tight miniskirts and low cut crop tops? But that was Natsu's problem. There was _no one_ who didn't want to see that, and guys weren't shy about their staring either. Hell, even Cana would grab Lucy's tits on a daily basis.

If Natsu was being honest, he was starting to lose control of his jealousy. He wanted to punch out every creep that laid eyes on Lucy (including Cana). But he knew he couldn't do that - not because he wasn't capable, because he definitely was, and willing too. What stopped him was Lucy; she would totally think Natsu was a crazy, obsessed maniac if he did anything of the sort. Especially since she herself was completely oblivious to all the people who obviously liked what they saw. Natsu's only option was to ask Lucy to dress differently. He hoped his suggestion would be enough.

On the way to Fairy Tail, Natsu noticed that Lucy was unusually silent. He didn't ask her what was wrong, he just observed. He was normally able to figure out what was bothering his best friend just by looking at her, but today was different. It was as if there was a solid wall between them as they walked the short way to the cafe.

When they entered the familiar, coffee scented shop, Lucy went straight to the front counter. Natsu watched her to with a frown on his face. What was going on with her? She took a seat on one of the stools, and immediately started talking to Mirajane. Natsu wondered what their conversation was about.

"Hey, Natsu!"

"Oh hell, when did you get back in town?" Natsu asked, grinning despite his intended harsh words. He was suddenly giving a rough hug to his childhood father figure, Gildarts.

"Early today, actually. You know, I was expecting to see you and Lisanna together, but damn. You're getting it on with that blondie over there? I taught you well," Gildarts said, a smug smile on his face as he looked towards Lucy. Natsu stilled. Gildarts could be the biggest pervert he knew, and the pinkette was analysing what he'd said, trying to determine if he should be upset or not.

"No kidding. Would ya take a look at that rack she's got on her? I'd make her my woman, too," Laxus joined in, resting an arm on Gildarts' shoulder. At that, Natsu growled.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice nothing if not menacing. He quickly got into Laxus' personal space, daring him to take the first swing. Laxus only rolled his eyes.

"Calm down, pyro. I'm not going to make a move on your girl. Now back away before you get your ass kicked and embarrass yourself in front of her."

 _Get my ass kicked?!_ Natsu thought angrily. "That's it!" he shouted, his rage taking over as he pulled his fist backwards.

"Alright, alright. That's enough!" Gildarts firmly stated, pushing the two younger boys away from each other. With a frown on his face, Gildarts turned to Natsu. "I suggest you walk away and cool off."

Natsu wasn't an idiot. Laxus, he might be able to take. Gildarts? Not so much. Angrily, the pinkette left the two males and walked to find some other friends to sit with. He was purposely leaving Lucy alone for now, giving her some space. Natsu hoped that after awhile whatever it was between them would be gone.

Sadly, that was not the case. After about an hour or so, Natsu made his way towards the front counter, and noticed that Mira was giving Lucy a worried look. Levy and Wendy were also next to her, their expressions much the same. Natsu decided to handle this the Natsu way, so he smiled and threw an arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Natsu asked, feigning obliviousness. All the girls were silent for a moment before Mira looked at Natsu and said, "Lucy won't eat."

"Huh?" he asked, looking at Lucy in confusion. The girl refused to meet his eyes.

"I'm just not hungry," Lucy explained, shrugging. Natsu didn't believe it for a minute. They hadn't eaten since early that morning when Natsu snuck into her bedroom through her window and asked her to make him breakfast. Something wasn't right.

Shrugging, Natsu gave an "Eh" and looked away from Lucy and towards Mira. They shared a knowing look, and Natsu said, "Could I get an order of the usual, Mira?" Right away, white haired girl got to work, and Natsu pulled Lucy away to their own table, away from everyone else.

"So, have you met Gildarts? He's been away since before you moved here, I want to introduce you guys. The guy's a total jerk, but I love 'em, ya know?" At this point, Natsu was just talking to fill the silence. Lucy was looking down at the wooden tabletop, making random patterns with her fingers. _Did I do something?_ Natsu started to wonder, rethinking everything that had happened between him sneaking into Lucy's room and right now.

"Here you go! One order of loaded cheese fries and a chocolate milkshake!" Mira announced happily, placing the items in front of Natsu. He thanked her before she walked away and then turned his attention back to Lucy. She was staring at the food on the table, and her stomach growled loudly, just like he knew it would.

Truthfully, Natsu had already eaten with Gray and Erza. He wasn't hungry at all. That's why he purposely ordered Lucy's two favorite things - he knew she wouldn't be able to resist. Smiling, he pushed the food over to her, and was answered with a sullen look.

"You're giving me your food?" Lucy asked, hesitantly.

"Nope. I bought you food. I already ate, this is all yours," Natsu explained, half smiling and resting his chin in his hand, elbow leaning on the table. Lucy seemed to sigh in defeat and started to munch away at the fries.

"You set me up. You knew I wouldn't be able to resist the bacon cheese fries."

Natsu openly laughed at Lucy's expression and tone of voice. She was acting like a child who was being forced to eat her vegetables. "So you gonna tell me why you didn't want to eat? Are you feeling constipated or somethin'?" Natsu asked, purposely trying to annoy his friend. Lucy was always more honest when she was mad.

"No! It's nothing like that! Gross!" Lucy frowned in disgust, shoving more fries into her mouth. She angrily grabbed the milkshake and shoved the straw between her lips, taking a few sips while glaring at Natsu. He only shrugged at her.

"So? What is it? Just spit it out!" Natsu growled, dropping both hands onto the table with impatience. He watched while Lucy froze and immediately looked away.

"I...just felt fat today," she spoke softly, a blush coloring her cheeks. Now Natsu was really confused. He looked at Lucy through narrow eyes, and asked her to repeat herself. "I felt fat today so I didn't want to eat! What's so hard to understand!" Lucy almost shouted, crossing her arms and pushing her food away. Suddenly, she seemed disgusted by it.

Natsu quickly shook his head, trying to force himself to comprehend what the heck Lucy was saying. "What? You feel _fat_ today? You're the farthest thing from fat I know, Lucy. What would give you a crazy idea like that?"

"Oh I don't know!" Lucy threw her hands in the air in exasperation, her tone sarcastic. "Maybe the fact that you're always telling me I'm heavy! 'Ugh Lucy! You're too heavy, go on a diet!'" she mocked in a voice that was nothing at all like Natsu's.

"Tch," the boy scoffed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He smirked at a fuming Lucy, and leaned forward to say, "You've been on top of me for the better part of these past few weeks and you didn't hear me complaining, did ya? You're not heavy, Luce," Natsu full out grinned now that Lucy's frown was gone, replaced by a wide eyed, embarrassed face. Leaning back comfortably, the pinkette finished with, "I just say that kinda stuff to mess with you."

Lucy once again entertained herself by tracing random patterns on the table. Her cheeks were pink with blush, and she was chewing on her bottom lip. Natsu could tell something was still off, but he waited. If he pushed her any more, she would just clam up. After a few moments, Lucy spoke in a soft voice. "But this morning...When you told me to stop wearing crop tops...I thought it was because you thought I was…" Lucy refused to finish her sentence. Instead, she bit her bottom lip hard and looked away.

"Oh." Lucy thought she was fat all because Natsu had asked her to wear longer shirts? He guessed he could see where she would get that idea, but that was by far not his intention. Now it was Natsu's turn to blush and look away. He was awful at admitting feelings, especially the ones that he was embarrassed by.

Lucy was looking at him curiously now, and Natsu sighed. "The truth is, Lucy, I only asked you that because I get jealous over other guys checkin' you out. You don't notice it but it happens all the time and it seriously pisses me off. I thought that maybe if you dressed differently it would help. It was really stupid of me to say to you. I'm really sorry, Luce. Please don't starve yourself because of me, or for any reason! You're perfect; you've got nothin' to worry about."

After giving him a shocked look, Lucy broke eye contact with Natsu and returned to eating her fries. "I don't know why you're worried about that. It's not like you're my boyfriend or anything." And the tone of Lucy's voice as she spoke the words was what made Natsu feel like he'd shattered. He couldn't tear his eyes off the blonde, but she didn't even notice what she'd done to him. When she finally looked up from her food to see why Natsu hadn't spoken, the boy quickly blinked, clearing his mind.

"You're right. I'm not." Natsu stood, earning a confused look from Lucy. He pulled out his wallet and placed a few bills on the tabletop, just enough to cover Lucy's food. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you later," Natsu mumbled, ignoring Lucy's requests for him to stay. He needed to get away and think about some things on his own.

* * *

Natsu let his mind wander while he walked, not paying attention to where he was going. He figured he'd just turn down random streets and back alleyways, and end up wherever he ended up. He cursed to himself when he "ended up" at the Heartfilia mansion. His mind must have led him there without him realizing it; he guessed he subconsciously thought of going to Lucy's any time he was upset. The girl _was_ usually the one he went to when in distress. But now she was the cause of it.

Grumbling, Natsu sat down on the concrete ledge that overlooked the river flowing by Lucy's home. He had to admit it was pretty peaceful out here, and while his feet dangled only centimeters from the water, Natsu tilted his head back to look up at the clear sky.

" _It's not like you're my boyfriend or anything."_

Lucy had seemed so angry when she said that. But why? Angry because Natsu was jealous when he had no right to be, or angry because he wasn't her boyfriend? Either or could be the reason, but knowing Lucy, Natsu was leaning more towards the latter.

Since the night of the winter ball, Natsu and Lucy had entered into a sort of "friends with benefits" relationship. They'd started to kiss a lot -in between classes, after school, before school, on the way to school…- and started to do other stuff too, like cuddle as they fell asleep, and hold hands while walking the school halls. All of it just felt natural to Natsu, it was something that just _happened._ He didn't spend much time worrying about what their title was because to him that wasn't important. She was Lucy and he was Natsu, and they were simply Lucy and Natsu.

But deep down, Natsu was starting to realize that to Lucy, it probably did matter. After all, she'd grown up with books as her only source of entertainment. When they first became friends, Lucy confessed that she really didn't have contact with people her own age until she convinced her father to move to Magnolia. So she'd spent her whole life living inside the (really crappy) romance novels she'd grown up reading. And Lucy probably wanted a love life like that. Like the books.

Was Natsu even capable of giving her that? He wasn't really the type of guy to be romantic - hell, he wasn't even the type of guy to feel like this about a girl at all! After losing his father when he was young, he'd learned to keep everyone at a safe distance. But of course Lucy had to be annoying and ruin that for him. Would Lucy even want a boyfriend like Natsu? Should he even bother trying to ask her out, or should he just give up and save their friendship before they went too far?

"Gah! I need a sign!" Natsu yelled up at the open sky, hoping - no, praying - that some type of higher force would hear his plea.

"Natsu?"

"Huh?" the pinkette turned around when he heard a familiar voice. None other than Jude Heartfilia was standing there, on the other side of the street, a sleek, black car waiting for him to get in. Natsu grinned at the old man. "Yo, Mr. Heartfilia!"

"I thought that was you. Say, I'm going on a business trip. You take care of Lucy while I'm gone, you hear?" Mr. Heartfilia instructed him, and Natsu nodded obediently.

"You can count on me, sir!" Natsu beamed, though his heart was full of daggers. He'd have to confront Lucy soon then, but what would he do? Just pretend everything was okay? How long could he keep that up?

"And one more thing, Natsu. I've been meaning to tell you this for some time now; you have my blessing," Mr. Heartfilia announced, opening the back door of the car. He placed his briefcase on the seat while waiting for Natsu's response.

"I have..your blessing?" the boy asked, feeling completely lost. _His blessing for what?_

"What I mean is, Natsu, whenever you decide to grow a pair and ask my daughter out, I'll be okay with it. Oh, don't give me that face," Lucy's father scolded, rolling his eyes at Natsu's shocked expression. It was obvious the boy hadn't expected this, and Jude could hardly blame him. "I know how you feel about my daughter. You look at her the same way I used to look at her mother. I couldn't think of a better boy for her than you."

Jude Heartfilia meant every word he spoke. Just recently, he and Lucy had gotten in a fight over him trying to arrange a marriage for her. If she married the son of Jude's rival, they could combine businesses, and Jude wouldn't have to stress so much. Lucy, obviously, had rejected the idea, and shouted something that hit Mr. Heartfilia in the core. " _Mom would never let you do this!"_ And she was right. Layla would have been appalled by Jude's actions, and the mere reminder of that made him hang his head in shame. As Jude drove away in his car now, he felt happier, knowing that at least in this small way, he could honor his wife.

 _Well if_ that _wasn't a sign, I don't know what is,_ Natsu thought to himself, shaking his head and running his finger through his hair. So this is it. He was going to ask Lucy to be his...girlfriend. He was equally excited and nervous by the thought.

"Hey, was that my dad?"

Natsu looked up to see Lucy approaching him from the same direction Mr. Heartfilia had drove off in. She was pointing her finger down the street, emphasizing her question. As Natsu started to explain, Lucy took a seat next to him by the river.

"Uh-huh. He said he had to go on a business trip; asked me to look after you," Natsu looked over at Lucy with a sly grin, despite himself, and the girl widened her eyes at the sight. "Guess that means I'm in charge, and you'll have to do whatever I say, right?" His eyes had a playful glint to them and his wicked smile sent a shiver down Lucy's spine.

"You wish!" she laughed, nudging him with her elbow, earning a laugh in response. "Hey," Lucy said, turning serious as she looked into Natsu's eyes, "Are you gonna tell me why you left me back there?"

 _This is it!_ Natsu thought, sighing deeply with nervous. He looked away from Lucy for a moment to gather his thoughts, and nodded. "Yeah, I think it's about time we had a talk, Luce." When Natsu looked back at her, he noticed that her face had paled and she was sitting rather stiffly. Did she honestly think he'd have something bad to say?

"Listen, I'm not - ugh! This is so awkward!" Natsu growled, face palming before running the hand up his forehead and into his hair. Although she was nervous, the action caused Lucy's features to soften as she looked at Natsu.

"Look," Natsu tried again, making direct eye contact with Lucy. "I'm not good at this kinda stuff, okay? I'm nothin' like those guys you read about in your books. I can't quote stupid poetry or - you know - I don't know - buy you a gazillion roses or something dumb like that! But I can't think of another person I care about more than I care about you, Luce. What I'm trying to say is," he paused to take Lucy's hand in his, "I want to be your boyfriend."

Natsu made it a habit of his to always be confident. He hated showing any weakness, especially nervousness, and so he decided a long time ago to just never feel that way again. And it had worked. You know, until Lucy decided to do a thing and mess it all up. Now, it was all Natsu could do to keep his hand steady while he held hers.

After a moment of looking at Natsu with wide eyes and blushing cheeks - and doing a damn good job of nearly killing him with nerves - Lucy's face broke into a smile. The expression reached her eyes and Natsu's heart was beating so hard it hurt.

"I want to be your girlfriend," Lucy replied with a small giggle. Natsu visibly relaxed at the words and pulled Lucy closer to him, pressing quick kisses to her lips over and over again. Soon, though, he was kissing her smile because Lucy couldn't contain the happy laughter that was escaping her now.

"I think you've had enough kissing practice, Natsu," Lucy said, a few more giggles escaping as she pushed her boyfriend away. Natsu shook his head, trying to resist and pull her back to him.

"You're right, I've had enough practice," Natsu agreed, finally able to get Lucy into his arms again. "Now it's time for the real deal," he teased, pressing his lips to Lucy's, kissing her expertly.


End file.
